We’re counting down the 40 days to NYWIFT’s 40th Anniversary Muse Awards with a look at some of our favorite honorees, all women of vision and achievement who have contributed to the film and television industry. Join us as we look back at #Muse40for40, and buy your tickets for the Muse Awards on Tuesday, December 10th at nywift.org/muse!
#6: Penny Marshall
By Tricia Nolan
Bronx-born Penny Marshall, best known for playing Laverne DeFazio on ABC’s Laverne & Shirley, smashed Hollywood’s glass ceiling with her sophmoric directorial effort Big (’88) starring Tom Hanks. Penny became the first woman to helm a major motion picture that grossed more than $100M at the box office. With her 1990’s Awakenings, starring Robin Williams & Robert De Niro, Marshall went on to become the second woman in Oscar history to helm a movie nominated for Best Picture. She then went on to direct the 1992 blockbuster A League of Their Own, starring an ensemble cast that included Hanks, Madonna, Geena Davis and Rosie O’Donnell.
Known for being as courageous as she was talented, Penny proved – over and over again – that a woman’s vision is as creatively vital and economically profitable as a man’s.
Tricia Nolan
Tricia Nolan is a veteran writer-producer and emerging director. After a decade of delivering polished, high-quality creative of all sizes, both live-action and animation, at Nickelodeon, MTV and VH!, Nolan was tapped to produce and direct the weekly magazine-style series "What’s Next!" for A&E Networks.
After a successful run as Head of Production at the bi-coastal Dogmatic, Inc., supervising worldwide campaigns for global brands, Nolan produced the documentary "$ellebrity," featuring unfiltered interviews with stars such as Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, Salma Hayek, Sarah Jessica Parker and Jennifer Aniston.
Tricia has directed several short films of her own, which have screened at such prestigious festivals as AFI, Seattle, Nantucket and the Hamptons. Her most recent short, "On The Run," was made as a proof of concept for her upcoming dramatic thriller entitled "In The Grip."
Follow her on twitter @tnolan2 www.tricianolan.com
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